The Problem:
The current City system takes the Siege out of the end game. Tier 1 - 4 trains players to siege, secure and defend objectives. Why should these elements not be a part of the end game. The typical city siege usually has 1 or 2 instances where 1 side, usually a premade warband of high renown rank players, rolls over the other side constantly running between 3 battlefield objectives. Then the next couple are full of a side which farms the Boss mob over and over and over again. Both cases get rather boring and essentially become a Giant Premade Scenario. From the feedback I have collected in my City Siege Pro/Con post the general consensus is that players who have been inside a City Siege, say that they dislike the way it currently operates.
The Objective:
- To create gameplay which the Tier 4 campaign builds up too, not steps down to.
- Create an environment which allows all styles of players to enjoy the end game battles, ie. PvE, Large and Small Scale oRvR
- Putting the siege back into City Siege
- Create an fun, rewarding, and engaging treat for all players on the server regardless of rank or wards while the city is unlocked. Make it a "Reward" and not a "Chore".
- To save on development costs and production time by re-purposing existing game mechanics for use with the new city siege.
- Create enough buzz for Warhammer Online which can generate new subscribers and cause subscription numbers and profits to rise with minimal expenditures and development costs.
How to Achieve This Objective:
We bring the siege back to the city siege by turning it into a 5 stage assault playable by all players on the server. The first stage of the assault is securing a warcamp. This takes place outside the doors of the capital city. Once the objective is taken and the defending force is wiped the camp spawns a flight master, merchants, trainers, vault keepers and quartermasters as well as city quest npc's. In addition, "Gateways" in the form or portals become available to allow players the ability to port into each of the instances or city dungeons. Each defensive base must be secured within 30 minutes from the time of Double Pairing zone lock. If Opposing side prevents assaulting side from setting up the warcamp the pairing reset and the assault is thwarted. The Assaulting side must capture the Warcamp Flag (In form of a Battle Field Objective). Once flag is captured Defending side ports into their basecamp inside defending city. Once the warcamp spawns the 2 hour city siege begins.
Game Mechanics Changes:
- With the recent public test event we witnessed over 400 entities on the battlefield without crashing the server. This being said It would be possible for Mythic to raise the limit of players per side per instance to between 72 and 96. Thus allowing for 1 Instance for each Instance Level (See Below) to operate at a time.
- Small changes to the existing City under Siege layout, will need to be included such as: adding ram pads to objective door areas, flattening terrain for siege pad placement, adding back doors to objectives, Creating new Battlefield Capture points, and Creating a Flight Master Spawn outside the city.
- A spawnable warcamp would need to be constructed Outside the city gates which would serve as a flight point and entry point to the new city system.
- 2 New City Based Scenarios (Possibly using current City Siege Mechanic as template)
- The 5 Star System and VP System will need to be changed to reflect the new city. It would be possible to use the Victories in each Scenario, and End Boss kill to generate a point system which would decide the overall winner and calculate Star Gain / Loss. I plan to propose a Realm Star system re-visioning soon which will plug directly into the new city re-visioning.
The City Siege Structure:
The new city design would be broken into 3 main groups. Each group would have 7 instances levels available providing a total of 21 Different instances running during every city siege.
The 3 Primary Siege Groups Are: - City Raiding - Type: PvE - These will only be available while the city siege is in play and will vary in difficulty based on level ward class. These would yield the same gear that those in the oRvR Instances would receive.
- City Skirmish - Type: Scenario - Also known as: Causing Havoc (Offense) & Taking out the Trash (Defense). These 12-Man or 24-Man Scenarios are a clone of parts of the city where the objective is to reach a point count of 500 while fighting over multiple objectives (Think Nordenwatch or Gates of Ekrund Scenario).
- City Siege - Type: oRvR - This instanced siege mechanic will look and act like the Tier 4 oRvR Campaign. Players will take Battlefield Objectives to secure key locations, siege and capture fortifiable locations, cut the defending reinforcement line, then challenge the end game boss designed for each group of players. See Below.
The Instance Levels Are: - Rank 1 - 10 - End Boss: Level 11 Lord - End Objective Gives Decimator Items
- Rank 11 - 20 - End Boss: Level 21 Lord - End Objective Gives Obliterator Items
- Rank 21 - 30 - End Boss: Level 31 Lord - End Objective Gives Devastator Items
- Rank 31 - 40 - End Boss: Level 41 Lord - End Objective Gives Lesser Warded Items
- Lesser Warded - All NPC's carry Lesser wards - End Boss: General #1 - End Objective Gives Greater Warded Items - Is Playable by All Lesser and Higher Warded Players.
- Greater Warded - All NPC's carry Greater wards - End Boss: General #2 - End Objective Gives Superior Warded Items - Is Playable by All Greater and Higher Warded Players.
- Superior+ Warded - All NPC's carry Superior wards - End Boss: The King - End Objective Gives Excelsior and Supreme Warded Items - Is Playable by All Superior and Higher Warded Players.
Rewarding Efforts:
One of the biggest concerns and debates from players currently is, "Is the effort worth the reward". Like any type of addiction driven campaign you need to give enough to keep players wanting more. Creating an environment where the mouse actually wants the cheese on the other side. Introducing new jewelry, clocks, pocket items, trophies, titles, and more importantly Guild Trophies for use on standards will create a strong desire to continue to assault and defend the city.
By involving everyone from Tier 1 - Tier 4 you begin teaching players how to complete the end game before the opportunity to face off with the king. By letting the lower tiers in you can nullify the need for explaining what's going on in every instance every time. The confusion factor with what's supposed to be happening in the current system takes several minutes away from combat and typically spells defeat. By the final chapter of the city siege all players will have witnessed the various targets, objectives, and gameplay styles and will have the background they need to perform at their best.
For each Instance Level the target gear increases. All gear will match the minimum level of player within the Instance. In addition higher warded players will no longer have to compete for gear with lower level players. There would be no more non-warded people holding up space in an instance for higher warded people. However to keep community relations high and keep families playing together it will be important to allow higher warded people to enter the lower warded instances to assist and train new players. However they will still only receive that tiers reward. This will cut back on Griefing while allowing those who play a lot to play with their lesser active friends.
The New City Siege Mechanic
The new mechanic is set up as a giant tug-o-war. The attackers and defenders push each other with all their might to progress the instance campaign. The objective of the new city is similar to real warfare. First you setup and secure a base camp, then you breach, secure supply lines, and cut food supplies from your enemies. Next you capture key objectives which serve as defendable locations within your target. Then you cleanse the battlefield of all hostile's. Lastly you target your primary objective, in this case the king. This progression is built on a simple tug-o-war mechanic which is used in the primary Tier 4 campaign in the form of zone locks.
Stage 1: Secure Weapons And Food Supplies - 5 Minute Lock Timer
Type: 2 Battlefield Objectives, The Armory and The Storehouse
The assaulting team must capture and hold two battlefield objectives for 5 Minutes. The defending side must prevent them from locking both objectives. When the 2 Battlefield Objectives have been secured a Zone Lock Bonus occurs with the value of the 2 Objectives. By giving a renown bonus for each 5 minutes of holding for both offense and defense it encourages players of all levels to participate and gain rewards regardless of winning or losing.
The Extra Distance:
NPC's Populate the Battlefield Objectives once the zone locks, Hero Guards run from Base camp to the battlefield objectives and post up as guards to ward off wandering enemy forces. Civilian level NPC's carry boxes and crates, hammer weapons, and build ramparts. Upon the area becoming contested again, the hero guards call for a retreat and move back to Basecamp freeing the Objectives for capture again.
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Stage 2: Advanced Defenses - 30 Minute Lock Timer
Type: 2 Keep Style Targets
In each city the assaulting side must Siege and Assassinate Lords which fortify the two locations. Once a objective is taken, it then flips to the capturing side and the lord is replaced by a capturing side lord. The defending side must re-siege and assassinate the Lord to halt the 30 minute timer. If the defense holds all 3 objectives for 30 minutes the stage moves back to stage 2. If the Capturing sides captures and holds both objectives for 30 minutes the instance advances to stage 3. All targets require a door to be taken down and allow defenders to use siege emplacements to defend. Upon securing Stage 2 a zone lock bonus is given for the 2 keep objectives.
The Extra Distance:
Upon locking stage 2 fireworks go off and Flags of assaulting side are raised. NPC's begin transporting crates and supplies to defended locations and Hero Guards spawn to ward off wandering enemy forces.
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Stage 3: Severing the Reinforcements
Type: 1 Fortress Style Target
The final chapter of the oRvR mechanic within the city is to siege and conquer the stronghold where lives a Fortress style battle. Upon killing the Lord, the defending side can no longer respawn. If they release they are ported back to their Basecamp where they can enter a different instance. This stage requires the sieging of 2 doors, slaying of a lord while defenders attempt to thwart the assault. Upon securing Stage 3 a fortress capture bonus is given.
The Extra Distance:
Militia NPC's begin to populate the enemy city cheering at players and begin patrolling the streets. Banners for the assaulting side are erected. Guard patrols begin to wander around the city. A really nice touch would be changing the music from Defending Side Style or Offensive Side Style. So if Order was sieging it would be more Empire based music, if Destruction was sieging it would be Chaos based. Perhaps even changing the lighting would really help change the mood. From dark and dreary to bright and hopeful.
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Stage 4: The Death of a King
Type: 1 Epic Level Fight
The city has been cleansed and only a handful of defenders lurk in the shadows. A fortified Palace lay before you. Players must break down the doors, all the while fighting champion level guards. As they push toward the inner chamber and throne room the guards become heroes. Guarding the door to the throne room is a Lord (General). During the final fight no resurrections can be given. Upon killing the General the doors open and the king stands alone against the legion that has sieged his castle. This fight will be scaled to the players that are pushing it. The Tier 1 version will have an easier boss than the tier 4 max level king. Each fight should be unique enough to be interesting but a different named boss. When the boss dies on his corpse lies a head trophy. Collecting all 7 heads will give you a title. Each head can be hung from your belt or placed on a Guild Standard. In addition a traditional PQ roll takes place and several bags including from Gold, Purple, Blue, Green and White are given. Inside contains cloaks, jewelry, pocket items, crafting supplies, and the set pieces for the given level. In addition an Epic level bonus is given (Proposed 2-3x Normal Zone Lock Bonus).
The Extra Distance:
The assaulting sides general rides into the Throne Room and congratulates players giving them a quest which they can turn in to the king of their own side which will award them EXP, Medallions, Insignias, and Coin. This quest would not be shareable. Putting the chest in a Treasury would be a nice touch letting players collect their loot in a room surrounded by gold coin and spoils.
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The New City Raiding Mechanic
The City Raiding Mechanic will allow players to explore and loot various dungeons that are only available when a city is invaded. These Instances will have their loot tables shifted to match the invading realm. By allowing the invaded cities dungeons to be explored players will have the ability to explore all of the games content and find new treasures in places they have never seen. All current Home City dungeons would become available for exploration by the opposing side when their home is in a contested state.
The Dungeon Explorer System
 At the basecamp location a new NPC (Archeologist) will spawn along with several quest NPC's which will give players quests for the various dungeons available. By talking to the Archeologist a new window will appear (Leveraged from the Existing Scenario Join Window. Mythic If you want the .lua mockup file let me know) allowing players to choose a dungeon to explore.
The Dungeons:
Altdorf Under Siege (Destruction Available)
- The Sewers of Altdorf - Ranks 11+
- Sigmar Crypts - Ranks 40+ Lesser Wards
- Warpblade Tunnels - Ranks 40+ Lesser Wards
- The Grand Theogonist - Ranks 40+ Greater Wards
- The Bright Wizard College - Ranks 40+ Greater Wards
Inevitable City Under Siege (Order Available)
- The Sacellum - Ranks 11+
- Bloodwrought Enclave - Ranks 40+ Lesser Wards
- Bilerot Burrows - Ranks 40+ Lesser Wards
- Monolith - Ranks 40+ Greater Wards
- The Sacellum - Ranks 40+ Greater Wards (Rename to avoid confusion)
The Extra Distance:
If a little extra effort can be made in this area it would be useful to create a "treasure" drop of some sort perhaps "Artifacts". That can be collected and turned in for collectable pocket items, jewelry items, trophies, or even guild trophies. It would also be a nice addition to allow players to collect all of the bosses in a part of the Tome of Knowledge that would allow them to unlock some new titles. As the new city is evaluated it would be nice to introduce new dungeons that are only available when the city is contested for Tiers 1 and 3 as well as for superior warded players. The limited nature of these dungeons will encourage many to explore and collect anything they can. The loot tables can even be the same as their own city, with the benefit of unlocking new titles and unlocks.
The New City Skirmish Mechanic
While some prefer the large scale warfare others prefer to take to the battlefield in smaller groups. The new city skirmish mechanic will allow the small warfare players to engage in smaller battles to fight over various objectives. The skirmish mechanic would work as the existing scenario system works. No changes would be needed to make this aspect of the system playable. With the 1.3.4 patch this would include all the treasure a player could want.
12-Player Scenarios:
- Altdorf War Quarters - Altdorf Under Siege
- The Undercroft - Inevitable City Under Siege
18-Player Scenarios:
- Reikland Factory - Altdorf Under Siege
- Twisting Tower - Inevitable City Under Siege
24-Player Scenarios:
- Altdorf City Under Siege - (New Scenario using existing City Siege Stage 1 Mechanic)
- Inevitable City Under Siege - (New Scenario using existing City Siege Stage 1 Mechanic)
The Extra Distance:
I nice touch would be to add a 6 man scenario to the mix giving players a while range of small to mid scale warfare.
In Conclusion
It is my belief that I have done my best to include the suggestions presented by the Badlands server, Tuatha Extended Alliance, Gaiscioch Family, as well as develop a city that would be the icing on the cake rather than the washing the dishes after dinner. I believe it will be important to give players of each of the 3 traditional play styles this game attracts an avenue for reward and the ability to participate in the assault in their own way. The key to creating an enjoyable endgame is making it enjoyable by all and keep the player base playing rather than explaining. This city design would encourage both assault and defense of a city and allow players to experience endgame play in a format that they enjoy without feeling under geared or out matched.
In addition this plan is cost effective, using pieces of the game which are already implemented. By re-purposing existing game mechanics a great deal of time and money can be saved on the production of the new and improved city.
With a careful implementation and media blitz this plan could reintroduce players to the game as well as attract additional subscribers. It would likely be the target of several articles in Magazine, Blogs, and freelance journalists as well as potentially a G4TV appearance. With the support of the Marketing team and community relations managers this improvement could be the thing that brings players back to Warhammer Online.
Contributors:
I would like to take a moment to highlight some of the key players in this proposal. Special thanks to all of those who contributed suggestions and feedback to the development of this proposal.
The Badlands Server Community
The community on Badlands Server widely provided the backdrop to this city proposal. Through their constructive feedback we managed to come up with a concept that would appease all types of players and provide a fun and enjoyable endgame to all. Special thanks go out to all of those that contributed to this proposal and all your hard work. The Badlands Community welcomes all players looking for a server to join them for their weekly Battle for Badlands which takes place every Tuesday Night at 6pm PST / 9pm EST in Tier's 2 and 3. Come experience the friendly nature of the Badlands community first hand and enjoy some epic oRvR at the same time.
For more information regarding Battle for Badlands weekly community driven event please visit:
http://www.gaisciochnaanu.com/battleforbadlands/
The Tuatha Extended Alliance
The Tuatha Extended Alliance is a collective of Guilds on the Badlands server who's goals are to unite the forces of Order in comradeship and provide a fun enjoyable environment to all players. The Tuatha actively participates in public test events, proposes changes to the game, reports bugs, and runs weekly community driven oRvR and Roleplay events.
For more information about the Tuatha and the Guilds participating in the program see:
http://www.gaisciochnaanu.com/tuatha/
The Gaiscioch Family
 The Gaiscioch (Gosh-Kia) Family was founded in 2001 and currently includes: Gaiscioch, Gaiscioch na Anu, and Gaiscioch na Nuada. The word "Gaiscioch" is the Gaelic word for 'Divine Warriors' and is taken from the Irish book Lebor Gabala Erenn, the oldest text found on Irish soil. The Gaiscioch were the protectors of the Celt gods.
In Warhammer Online we are a heavy oRvR, Light Roleplay family. We have no requirements, commitments, or expectations of our members and welcome everyone of all skill levels. We simply ask that you keep your blades out, not in. We never attack another member of the family. We are about having fun and making friends above all else.
For more information about the Gaiscioch Family please visit:
http://www.gaisciochnaanu.com/
The Author
Foghladha is one of the more common multi-warband leaders who hosts server wide events 3 times a week in tiers 2, 3, and 4. He has been selected as a War Oracle by the Mythic Entertainment development team to act as a liaison between the Badlands community and the development team. Foghladha has also developed several mods and skins including: the Tuatha Mod, the Trinity Mod, and a skin for the mod Pure. Professionally Foghladha is the Director of Technology for a media publication and has a 17 year history of programming, graphic design, customer & public relations, marketing, and leadership experience. His work has been featured by the New York Times, Forbes, Boston Globe, ESPN, and ABC Television.
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